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"C'mon,
Get 'Happy'"
by Scott Mantz
"Happy, Texas"
Jeremy Northam, Steve Zahn
Directed by Mark Illsley
The Weinstein
brothers over at Mirimax Pictures obviously know what they're doing.
Not only have they turned their little distribution company into
a major studio empire in under 20 years, but they did it on their
own terms. Commanding the highest respect, many big-name stars will
appear in their films for less than their usual asking price. After
all this time, the hilarious and heartwarming "Happy, Texas" proves
that the Weinsteins still know how to pick 'em.
Who would have
thought that so much buzz could surround such a little movie? The
independent film was screened at last year's Sundance Film Festival
to high praise. Distributors were falling over themselves with their
checkbooks drawn in a effort to acquire the film, but what Mirimax
wants, Mirimax gets.
Harry (Jeremy
Northam) and Wayne (Steve Zahn) are doing hard time on the chain
gang when they get a golden opportunity to escape. They steal an
RV and hide out in the small town of Happy, Texas, where they are
mistaken for a pair of gay child beauty pageant organizers. They
decide to play along with the charade so they can rob the local
bank when the time is right. Before they know it, they get caught
up in the lives of the quirky-yet-wholesome locals, even finding
love in some rather unusual circumstances.
The idea of
criminals trapped in a too-sweet small town was done before with
Nicolas Cage in "Trapped in Paradise", but the results are much
stronger here. "Happy" is full of some very funny moments, but this
is a film with a lot of heart. Director Illsley is able to blend
highly comedic moments with some deeply touching performances without
changing the tone of the film. Both Harry and Wayne go through a
major change (albeit, in very different ways) when they decide that
robbing the bank is just not that important.
What makes "Happy"
so special is the acting of everyone involved. Northam and Zahn
play well off each other as polar opposites. Northam plays such
a straight-laced feet-on-the-ground type, you wonder why he was
in jail in the first place. Zahn, on the other hand, plays the loose
cannon. He has already proven his strength as the odd-man-out, as
seen in "That Thing You Do!" and the excellent "Out of Sight", and
his scenes as the fugitive teaching a bunch of girls pageant etiquette
are to die for.
Evidenced by
his Oscar-nominated turn in "Fargo", William H. Macy proves he can
blend into just about any character. His scenes as the sweet-natured
sheriff who was jilted by his lover are the most touching in the
film. Ally Walker puts in a decent turn as Northam's romantic interest,
and Illeana Douglas is also effective a Zahn's love destination.
Yes, it's contrived.
Yes, it has a happy ending. With a name like "Happy, Texas", what
do you expect? It has just the right blend of laughs mixed with
a healthy dose of heart. This approach can reap huge rewards, as
evidenced by the success of another little independent film called
"The Full Monty". With enough positive word of mouth, there's no
doubt that people will catch on and get happy.
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